Britain ‘missing a trick’ by not using waste to generate power

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A load of rubbish — but Sita UK says that the gas yielded by burning it could contribute to 17 per cent of our electricityOwen Humphreys/PA Archive

Robin PagnamentaEnergy Editor

Last updated at 12:01AM, July 12 2010

As much as 17 per cent of Britain’s electricity needs could be met by burning rubbish and the methane produced from landfill sites, according to the chief executive of one of the country’s biggest waste processing companies.

David Palmer-Jones, chief executive of Sita UK, which handled nine million tonnes of waste last year — 8 per cent of the total — said that Britain was failing to grasp a huge opportunity.

“The UK is behind the curve,” he said. Sweden, Germany and Denmark had well-established programmes to generate electricity and heat by burning municipal waste and even dried sewage sludge.